Professor Paul Dastoor

Shining light on organic electronics

Addressing global issues as diverse as the energy crisis, diabetes and mining safety, Professor Paul Dastoor and his team are at the forefront of the emerging field of organic electronics. Designing revolutionary devices such as solar paint and needle-free glucose tests, Professor Dastoor's innovations
are set to improve the environment and lives of communities around the world.

Paint-on energy

Currently in the final stages of perfecting the process of printing water-based solar paint, Professor Dastoor and his team of 30 researchers at the University of Newcastle's Centre of Organic Electronics are about to start printing hundreds of metres of solar
cells per day. They have also become the first in the world to build energy-efficient devices from water-soluble solar paint materials.

"The greatest issue the world is facing is energy production. We have billions of people who have no access to energy or electrical power at all," Professor Dastoor said.

"How do we solve this issue? We capture the sun's energy through solar paint and turn our homes, cars and appliances into solar power stations."

Organic electronics deals with carbon-based electronic materials that are soluble in a variety of liquids. This makes them able to be dissolved into solutions, which can be printed, painted or sprayed onto different surfaces whilst still being able to conduct electrical charges.

Professor Dastoor first began experimenting with the class of plastics known as semiconducting polymers in the mid 1990s. By breaking the semiconducting materials down into tiny particles, Professor Dastoor developed a method of suspending them in water, which led to the concept of producing a solar
paint or ink that could be applied to surfaces.

This ambition and ingenuity has captured the imagination of the general public, resulting in Professor Dastoor being part of the Australian TV 'New Inventors' Grand Final in 2011 with his solar paint technology.

The Centre of Organic Electronics, which Professor Dastoor is the Founder and Director of, also recently produced the highest-ever performance of solar paint cells at 2.5 to 3 per cent. The cells can already produce at lower light levels than existing solar-based silicon cells with installation costs
approximately one-tenth of installing a silicon solar system.

"The sun provides us with many times the energy we need every day – we just don't use it. We are focusing on using up stored sunlight in the form of coal or oil. Our ability to dig something out of the ground and utilise it is diminishing rapidly," he said.

"Solar paint technology allows us to harvest that energy now. It's lighter, more flexible and less expensive."

"By removing the constraints provided by inflexible solar cells, we can open up acres of surfaces to harness the sun's energy more efficiently."

When painted across a roof, the cells produce enough electricity to power a household. Dastoor estimates that if the 2.2 million houses in NSW were to use these cells, it would be the equivalent to an entire power station.

Within the next six months, the Centre for Organic Electronics is also welcoming new infrastructure and equipment that will help build the next layers of the cells. A newly installed printer at the University's Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources (NIER) has made it possible to print
up to a hundred metres of solar cells a day. Professor Dastoor expects the first prototypes to be available within a year.

Pain-free testing for diabetics using bio-sensors

The same technology is also being adapted by the team to build a new generation of sensors for a range of industry sectors from health to mining and safety.

"Because we have developed paint with semi-conducting particles, we can now 'download' electronic designs, print them relatively cheaply from an inkjet printer and, in principle, build any electronic device."

"These materials are all carbon-based, so they are more related to our own chemistry than silicon-based materials that you see used in traditional electronic items like computers and mobile phones. This compatibility provides exciting opportunities for medical applications and we have been exploring
ways we can integrate bio-molecules or chemical signatures into printed transistors."

"For example, we have now developed a saliva-based test of glucose levels for diabetic sufferers, potentially making blood tests a thing of the past. Our test is up to a hundred times more sensitive than current blood sensors and can be built from an inkjet printer."

"With predictions that there will be 500 million people with diabetes by 2020, this will have huge implications in the medical world and for communities around the world – one fantastic benefit being no more needles to test sugar levels."

"Sensors which can identify different chemical signatures have potential for applications in many other fields. Our team is currently designing what could become the first integrated explosion detonator system based on organic electronics that will improve mining safety and there has been interest
in developing a food poisoning sensor, which can sense the chemical signature of bacteria like listeria or salmonella."

Making a fundamental difference

While the projects vary across different sectors, together they create a web of interconnected activities that springboard off each other.

"What makes the Centre for Organic Electronics and the University of Newcastle different to any other University is that we work from the fundamental and concept stage of physics and chemistry through to applied science then to pilot-scale and large-scale production – we do the whole project
from start to finish."

"Many of the things we are doing on one project are interconnected and have implications for the other projects. This is displayed with the work we are doing with Cambridge University to build the world's first atom microscope, which has come about from our work on organic electronics.

"At the fundamental end of physics, we are currently at the birth of feasibility for a new technology. We hope to have images produced from the microscope within a year."

With a number of breakthroughs for all these projects expected to take place in the next six months, Professor Dastoor is making a fundamental difference to our organic electronic future.

Addressing global issues as diverse as the energy crisis, diabetes and mining safety, Professor Paul Dastoor and his team are at the forefront of the emerging field of organic electronics. Designing revolutionary devices such as solar paint and needle-free glucose…

Yet the physicist is now on the threshold of bringing to fruition a commercial-scale energy system based on solar cells that can be printed, and ultimately painted, onto surfaces.

Dastoor began experimenting with a class of plastics known as semiconducting polymers in the mid 1990s. While most polymers are electrical insulators, the conductive properties of this group of materials posed the prospect that they could be used in electronic devices such as photo-voltaics.

"Traditional silicon cell solar technology was very expensive then, and still is now, so the idea was to develop an alternative material that would be more cost-effective," Dastoor explains.

"I had read papers about semiconducting polymers and thought, naively, 'How hard can it be to build a polymer solar cell?'

"The answer: bloody difficult! Working out how to handle these materials and make them perform the way we wanted them to was a steep learning curve."

By breaking the semiconducting materials down to tiny particles, Dastoor developed a method of suspending them in water, which led to the concept of producing a solar paint or ink that could be applied to surfaces, such as plastic.

Dastoor then moved to the stage of fabricating solar cells onto a substrate, or base. The first rudimentary prototypes measured just two millimetres by two millimetres and could be produced with a common inkjet printer.

Now, a project that Dastoor started with one vacation student, hosts a team of 25 researchers and was the catalyst for the formation of the Centre for Organic Electronics, the field of study into conductive polymers.

The next step in Dastoor's solar paint research is building a customised printing machine capable of coating solar paint onto hundreds of metres of plastic sheeting. This plastic sheeting could be installed onto roofs of residential houses then wired to inverter boxes to produce electricity in the
same way that conventional silicon solar panels operate.

"Our research indicates that a roll of this sheeting on a typical-sized roof of about 150 square metres will provide enough electricity for an average household," Dastoor says.

"However, the installation cost could be approximately one-tenth of installing a silicon solar system that produces the same amount of electricity."

Dastoor likens the basic construction of the solar sheeting - a metal coating on a plastic substrate with coloured ink printed on it - to that of a simple chip packet.

"And we make chip packets so cheaply that we throw them away when we are finished with them," he says, "which gives you an indication of how inexpensively we could manufacture this product."

Coating the solar cells onto plastic sheeting is the first step in realising the technology. Dastoor believes ultimately it will be possible to paint the conductive liquid directly onto a roof or wall, or even apply it as a window tint.

The new large-scale printing facility, funded by a $1 million grant from the Australian National Fabrication Facility, will begin operating later this year at the Newcastle Institute of Energy and Resources (NIER) site on the University campus and Dastoor is seeking $15 million investment to turn the
promising lab results into a commercially viable product within three years.

The solar project will also benefit from collaboration between the Centre for Organic Electronics, of which Dastoor is the director, and the CSIRO Energy Centre in Newcastle. The two entities have joined forces to establish a joint Research Centre for Organic Photovoltaics.

"One of the many exciting things about this technology is that it opens up the prospect of a new industry for Newcastle," Dastoor says.

"We sit at the head of the largest coal export port on the planet and yet we know we are not going to be able to mine this coal forever.

"What we are offering is low-cost, environmentally sustainable technology, being developed right here in this University, that could help this region and Australia make the transition to a more diverse, progressive economy."

Career Summary

Biography

Paul Dastoor is a Professor in Physics in the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences and the director of the Centre for Organic Electronics at the University of Newcastle in Australia. He received his B.A. degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge in 1990 and his PhD in Surface Physics, also from the University of Cambridge, in 1995. After completing his doctorate he joined the Surface Chemistry Department at British Steel in 1994 before taking up his present appointment at the University of Newcastle in 1995. He was an EPSRC Visiting Research Fellow at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, UK in 2002 and a CCLRC Visiting Research Fellow at the Daresbury Laboratory, Cheshire, UK in 2004-05.

Research ExpertiseSince arriving in mid-1995, I have established and developed a completely new research group within Physics at the University of Newcastle. This group is now the largest research group in the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences and one of the largest groups in the Faculty of Science and Information Technology. The projects currently undertaken within my research group encompass both fundamental and applied physics fields.

It is my firm belief that there is considerable synergy between research projects and students when a strong and active research interest is maintained in both fundamental and applied physics topics. These projects have attracted significant external funding and high-quality research students and involve multi-disciplinary collaborations with other researchers in Australia and overseas. Indeed, the research funding for these programmes has been awarded by a wide variety of funding agencies (both domestic and overseas), including the Australian Research Council (ARC), the Department of Industry, Science and Resources, AusIndustry, the Australian Synchrotron Research Programme, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), UK and the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CCLRC), UK.

My expertise covers surface analysis, electron spectroscopy, thin film growth, organic electronics, organosilane chemsitry, polymer films, atom beam optics and microscopy and medical devices. My research can be grouped in 3 main areas: (1) Helium Atom Microscopy, (2) Polymer Adsorption on Metal Surfaces and (3) Organic Electronic Devices. Helium Atom Microscopy Atomic scattering from surfaces has matured into a unique analytical technique for the study of formation of thin film structures. The wave properties of atomic beams mean that it is possible, in principle, to build a microscope that uses helium atoms (rather than, say, light or electrons) to image a surface. Furthermore, because atoms have a greater mass than electrons, their wavelength is much shorter than that of an electron and thus could image even smaller objects. In principle, it should be possible to image structures with a resolution less than a nanometre. My research at Newcastle is part of a large multinational collaboration with the University of Cambridge, which is at the forefront of international efforts in nanotechnology and provides Australian science with an opportunity to contribute to the development of a unique instrument with unprecedented resolution the Scanning Helium Microscope (SHeM). Polymer Adsorption on Metal Surfaces The second project area, investigating polymer adsorption on metal surfaces, arises from the technological problems faced within the steel industry in attempting to produce painted products. Current production techniques involve pre-treating the steel surface with environmentally hazardous chemicals. However, silane-based polymers are an alternative non-toxic pre-treatment and my research studies how these materials interact with oxide surfaces. In a major achievement, we have demonstrated that we can control the adsorption and subsequent orientation of molecules on surfaces. This research has lead to new projects aimed at developing molecular nanowires on surfaces using selective adsorption of these silane molecules as templates and involves accessing synchrotron research facilities to perform near-edge X-ray absorption experiments (NEXAFS) in Hsinchu (Taiwan), Pohang (South Korea) and Tsukuba (Japan). Access to these facilities is peer-reviewed and highly competitive. Organic Electronic Devices In 1998 I began a new research programme in the area of organic electronic devices. Since then, this research programme has grown dramatically to encompass a multinational, multidisciplinary collaboration with the University of Wollongong, University of Sydney and Massey University in New Zealand. I have established extensive fabrication and characterisation facilities.

Teaching ExpertiseI have established a very a strong foundation in both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching as evidenced by: " Preparing and delivering 15 undergraduate level and 1 Honours level subjects " Designing and developing new, non-physics, first year subjects " Designing and developing a restructured new First-Year Advanced Physics Course (PHYS1210 and PHYS1220) " Designing and developing a new teaching initiative (Integrated Learning) in the Department of Physics " Receiving a University of Newcastle Teaching Excellence Award and a competitive Teaching Development Grant. " Publishing a refereed conference paper on the implementation of the new Integrated Learning Initiative " Consistently achieving excellent student assessments of my teaching performance

Administrative ExpertiseI was the 2005 Chair of the New South Wales Branch of the Australian Institute of Physics. This committee is the State decision-making body for the Australian professional organisation representing physicists but unfortunately had been inactive for a number of years. In only a few months, I effectively reactivated the Branch and built an organised and more vigorous committee. For the first time in several years there were several high profile AIP events organised for 2005, including Prof. Malcolm Longair (Jacksonian Professor of Natural Philosophy, University of Cambridge) who presented a series of public lectures at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney to commemorate Einstein International Year of Physics. I was entirely responsible for all of the planning of this event, including attracting Prof. Longair to Australia, negotiating with the Powerhouse Museum, attracting external sponsorship and presenting budget proposals to the Federal AIP Executive. This event was repeated in Newcastle and considerably enhanced the profile of Physics in our region.

In 2003 I became the Newcastle member of the ASRP Board. The Board is the executive of the ASRP, determining policy and strategy. I have been an active member of this Board as evidenced by the fact that I was elected Vice-Chair in 2004. I have been an active participant in determining the future role of the ASRP with the advent of the new Australian synchrotron in 2007. For example, I was asked to be part of the initial contact group to develop increased interaction with the Australian synchrotron. In addition, I was asked to join the subcommittee specifying and overseeing the contract for the new soft X-ray end-station. This contract was worth over $1 million and I played a major role in ensuring that all of the user communitys requirements would be met by the new facility. I was invited to be a member of the local organising committee for the ICSM-7 conference that took place in Wollongong in 2004. This is a biannual conference that attracts delegates (typically 800 1000) from the area of conducting polymer science from around the world. The role involved monthly meetings over the 12 months leading up to the conference organising all aspects of the conference. I played an active role in the organisation of this conference as evidenced by my role in assessing whether the conference submissions warranted acceptance as papers.

Qualifications

PhD, University of Cambridge - UK

Bachelor of Arts (Honours), University of Cambridge - UK

Keywords

Photovoltaics

Physics

Polymers

Surface Physics

Languages

French (Fluent)

Fields of Research

Code

Description

Percentage

030399

Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry not elsewhere classified

20

030699

Physical Chemistry not elsewhere classified

30

020499

Condensed Matter Physics not elsewhere classified

50

Professional Experience

UON Appointment

Title

Organisation / Department

Professor

University of NewcastleSchool of Mathematical and Physical SciencesAustralia

Academic appointment

Dates

Title

Organisation / Department

1/06/2005 -

Vice-Chair - Policy and Review Board

Australian Synchrotron Research Program (ASRP) Australia

1/11/2004 - 1/02/2005

Visiting Fellow

Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CCLRC)Australia

1/01/2002 - 1/01/2003

Visiting Fellow

Fitzwilliam CollegeUnited Kingdom

1/01/2002 - 1/01/2003

Visiting Fellow - EPSRC

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research CouncilUnited Kingdom

1/01/2002 - 1/12/2005

Senior Lecturer

Physics

University of NewcastleSchool of Mathematical and Physical SciencesAustralia

1/01/2000 - 1/12/2001

Lecturer

Physics

University of NewcastleSchool of Mathematical and Physical SciencesAustralia

1/06/1995 - 1/12/1999

Associate Lecturer

Physics

University of NewcastleSchool of Mathematical and Physical SciencesAustralia

Membership

Dates

Title

Organisation / Department

Committee Member- CH-016, Spectroscopy

The Council of StandardsAustralia

Committee Member - CH-016-05 Surface Analysis

The Council of StandardsAustralia

Member - Australian Institute of Physics

Australian Institute of PhysicsAustralia

Member and Chartered Physicist - Institute of Physics (UK)

Institute of Physics, LondonUnited Kingdom

Invitations

Participant

Year

Title / Rationale

2006

ARC Federation Fellowship NomineeOrganisation: University of Newcastle
Description:
Invited by UoN and CSIRO to apply for the prestigious Federation Fellowship programme. Total cash contribution from supporting institutions: $2,875,000 and in-kind resources of $3,480,207.

Abstract Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) compositional mapping has been used to probe the mesomorphology of nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized from two very different p... [more]

Abstract Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) compositional mapping has been used to probe the mesomorphology of nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized from two very different polymer:fullerene blends: poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT): phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) and poly[4,8-bis(2-ethylhexyloxy)benzo(1,2-b:4,5-b')dithiophene-alt-5, 6-bis(octyloxy)-4,7-di(thiophen-2-yl)(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)-5,5'-diyl] (PSBTBT): PCBM. The STXM data shows that both blends form core-shell NP structures with similar shell compositions, but with different polymer:fullerene ratios in the core regions. P3HT:PCBM and PSBTBT:PCBM NP organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices have been fabricated and exhibit similar device efficiencies, despite the PSBTBT being a much higher performing low band gap material. By comparing the measured NP shell and core compositions with the optimized bulk hetero-junction (BHJ) compositions, we show that the relatively higher performance of the P3HT:PCBM NP device arises from the fact that its shell composition is much closer to the optimal BHJ value than that of the PSBTBT:PCBM NP device.

A unique bias-dependent phenomenon in CH<inf>3</inf>NH<inf>3</inf>PbI<inf>3-</inf><inf>x</inf>Cl<inf>x</inf> based planar perovskite solar cells has been demonstrated, in which th... [more]

A unique bias-dependent phenomenon in CH3NH3PbI3-xClx based planar perovskite solar cells has been demonstrated, in which the photovoltaic parameters derived from the current-voltage (I-V) curves are highly dependent on the initial positive bias of the I-V measurement. In FTO/CH3NH3PbI3-xClx/Au devices, the open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current increased by ca. 337.5% and 281.9% respectively, by simply increasing the initial bias from 0.5V to 2.5V.

The effect of device architecture upon the response of printable enzymatic glucose sensors based on poly(3-hexythiophene) (P3HT) organic thin film transistors is presented. The ch... [more]

The effect of device architecture upon the response of printable enzymatic glucose sensors based on poly(3-hexythiophene) (P3HT) organic thin film transistors is presented. The change in drain current is used as the basis for glucose detection and we show that significant improvements in drain current response time can be achieved by modifying the design of the sensor structure. In particular, we show that eliminating the dielectric layer and reducing the thickness of the active layer reduce the device response time considerably. The results are in good agreement with a diffusion based model of device operation, where an initial rapid dedoping process is followed by a slower doping of the P3HT layer from protons that are enzymatically generated by glucose oxidase (GOX) at the Nafion gate electrode. The fitted diffusion data are consistent with a P3HT doping region that is close to the source-drain electrodes rather than located at the P3HT:[Nafion:GOX] interface. Finally, we demonstrate that further improvements in sensor structure and morphology can be achieved by inkjet-printing the GOX layer, offering a pathway to low-cost printed biosensors for the detection of glucose in saliva.

We present a simplified design for a scanning helium microscope (SHeM) which utilises almost entirely off the shelf components. The SHeM produces images by detecting scattered neu... [more]

We present a simplified design for a scanning helium microscope (SHeM) which utilises almost entirely off the shelf components. The SHeM produces images by detecting scattered neutral helium atoms from a surface, forming an entirely surface sensitive and non-destructive imaging technique. This particular prototype instrument avoids the complexities of existing neutral atom optics by replacing them with an aperture in the form of an ion beam milled pinhole, resulting in a resolution of around 5 microns. Using the images so far produced, an initial investigation of topological contrast has been performed.

Here, we report the development of an organic thin film transistor (OTFT) based on printable solution processed polymers and employing a quantum tunnelling composite material as a... [more]

Here, we report the development of an organic thin film transistor (OTFT) based on printable solution processed polymers and employing a quantum tunnelling composite material as a sensor to convert the pressure wave output from detonation transmission tubing (shock tube) into an inherently amplified electronic signal for explosives initiation. The organic electronic detector allows detection of the signal in a low voltage operating range, an essential feature for sites employing live ordinances that is not provided by conventional electronic devices. We show that a 30-fold change in detector response is possible using the presented detector assembly. Degradation of the OTFT response with both time and repeated voltage scans was characterised, and device lifetime is shown to be consistent with the requirements for on-site printing and usage. The integration of a low cost organic electronic detector with inexpensive shock tube transmission fuse presents attractive avenues for the development of cheap and simple assemblies for precisely timed initiation of explosive chains.

The impact of a calcium interface layer in combination with a thermal annealing treatment on the performance of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT):[6,6]-phenyl-C61-buteric acid methyle... [more]

The impact of a calcium interface layer in combination with a thermal annealing treatment on the performance of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT):[6,6]-phenyl-C61-buteric acid methylester (PCBM) nanoparticle photovoltaic devices is investigated. Annealing is found to disrupt the microstructure of the nanoparticle active layer leading to a reduction in fill factor. However, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements show that the calcium interface layer causes PCBM to preferentially migrate to the cathode interface upon annealing, resulting in better charge extraction from the PCBM moiety, an increase in the built-in voltage, open-circuit voltage, and power conversion efficiency. Moreover, the annealing trends could be completely explained by the observed PCBM migration. Unlike P3HT:PCBM bulk heterojunction devices, the P3HT:PCBM nanoparticle devices showed a remarkable thermal stability up to 120Â°C. As such, OPVs fabricated from aqueous nanoparticle inks provide an attractive alternative to conventional organic solvent based bulk heterojunction devices.

We present a dynamic Monte Carlo (DMC) study of s-shaped current-voltage (I-V) behaviour in organic solar cells. This anomalous behaviour causes a substantial decrease in fill factor and thus power conversion efficiency. We show that this s-shaped behaviour is induced by charge traps that are located at the electrode interface rather than in the bulk of the active layer, and that the anomaly becomes more pronounced with increasing trap depth or density. Furthermore, the s-shape anomaly is correlated with interface recombination, but not bulk recombination, thus highlighting the importance of controlling the electrode interface. While thermal annealing is known to remove the s-shape anomaly, the reason has been not clear, since these treatments induce multiple simultaneous changes to the organic solar cell structure. The DMC modelling indicates that it is the removal of aluminium clusters at the electrode, which act as charge traps, that removes the anomalous I-V behaviour. Finally, this work shows that the s-shape becomes less pronounced with increasing electron-hole recombination rate; suggesting that efficient organic photovoltaic material systems are more susceptible to these electrode interface effects.

We present a simplified design for a scanning helium microscope (SHeM) which utilises almost entirely off the shelf components. The SHeM produces images by detecting scattered neu... [more]

We present a simplified design for a scanning helium microscope (SHeM) which utilises almost entirely off the shelf components. The SHeM produces images by detecting scattered neutral helium atoms from a surface, forming an entirely surface sensitive and non-destructive imaging technique. This particular prototype instrument avoids the complexities of existing neutral atom optics by replacing them with an aperture in the form of an ion beam milled pinhole, resulting in a resolution of around 5 microns. Using the images so far produced, an initial investigation of topological contrast has been performed.

Legendary performance artist Stelarc is one of several international experts participating in a University of Newcastle-hosted symposium this week that will challenge the idea that art and science exist at opposite ends of the spectrum.